Nozzle guards have long been available in the prior art. Such guards are applied as a jacket for locating around the upper and forward regions of a nozzle, for the purpose of providing a cushioning against damage to the vehicle, into which the nozzle inserts, and provides a convenient wrap that may aid in maintaining the sanitation of the nozzle, where the wrap may be replaced, after repeated usage.
The upper surface of the nozzle has generally a capacity of area that may be utilized, either for displaying a message, as can be seen in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,637, by fitting a changeable message placard with a ceiling attachment, but such message display was normally provided similar to the size of the upper of the automatic shut-off, thereby limiting the extent to which any message may be provided for viewing thereat. One of the problems with the type of shown message display is that the pressure fitting by compression of the material forming the top surface either into its platform 16 or around said platform could easily come loose when rough handling of the nozzle occurs, or in the event the nozzle may be dropped during usage, or when it is inserted with some force into the neck of the automobile fill tank, or when the nozzle is replaced back into the holder of the dispenser. When the top surface falls loose, the message placard is likewise freed or dropped, and the display becomes useless for any further applications.
Other earlier embodiments in the form of nozzles and scuff guards can be seen in the prior patent to Sutcliffe, U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,931, which is one of the early guards for a nozzle, as can be noted. Another patent to G. G. Sutcliffe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,781, shows a related dispensing nozzle guard, but in this case, includes a spout enclosure for the vapor recovery nozzle. These two identified patents are owned by the same assignee as this current invention.
The concept of the current invention is designed to improve upon the technology as disclosed in these prior art.